Semiconductor processing chambers and methods for cleaning the same

ABSTRACT

A processing chamber may include a gas distribution member, a substrate support, and a pumping liner. The gas distribution member and the substrate support may at least in part define a processing volume. The pumping liner may define an internal volume in fluid communication with the processing volume via a plurality of apertures of the pumping liner circumferentially disposed about the processing volume. The processing chamber may further include a flow control mechanism operable to direct fluid flow from the internal volume of the pumping liner into the processing volume via a subset of the plurality of apertures of the pumping liner during fluid distribution into the processing volume from the gas distribution member.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the benefit of, and priority to U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 62/879,720, filed Jul. 29, 2019, thecontents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entiretyfor all purposes.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present technology relates to semiconductor processes and equipment.More specifically, the present technology relates to semiconductorprocessing chambers and methods for cleaning the same.

BACKGROUND

Integrated circuits are made possible by processes which produceintricately patterned material layers on substrate surfaces. As devicesizes continue to shrink in next-generation devices, uniformity ofprocessing conditions continues to increase in importance, and chamberdesigns and system set-up may have an important role in the quality ofdevices produced. Thus, there is a need for systems and methods that canbe used to produce high quality devices and structures.

SUMMARY

According to one aspect, a processing chamber may include a gasdistribution member and a substrate support positioned below the gasdistribution member. The gas distribution member and the substratesupport may at least in part define a processing volume. The gasdistribution member may provide fluid access into the processing volume.The processing chamber may further include a pumping liner disposedradially outward from the substrate support. The pumping liner maydefine a plurality of apertures circumferentially disposed about theprocessing volume and an internal volume that may be in fluidcommunication with the processing volume via the plurality of apertures.The pumping liner may further define a gas inlet disposed radiallyoutward from the plurality of apertures. The gas inlet may provide fluidaccess into the internal volume of the pumping liner. The processingchamber may further include a flow control mechanism. The flow controlmechanism may be operable to direct fluid flow into the internal volumevia the gas inlet and then into the processing volume via a subset ofthe plurality of apertures of the pumping liner during fluiddistribution into the processing volume from the gas distributionmember.

In some embodiments, the flow control mechanism may include a firstchoke plate and a second choke plate disposed inside the pumping liner.The first choke plate and the second choke plate may divide the internalvolume of the pumping liner into a first volume and a second volume. Thefirst volume may be in fluid communication with the processing volumevia one half of the plurality of apertures. The second volume may be influid communication with the processing chamber via the other half ofthe plurality of apertures. The flow control mechanism may be operableto direct fluid flow from the first volume into the second volume viathe processing volume.

In some embodiments, the flow control mechanism may include a valvedisposed downstream of a gas outlet and upstream of an exhaust. Thevalve may be operable to close to prevent fluid flow from the processingchamber or the internal volume of the pumping liner to the exhaust viathe gas outlet.

In some embodiments, the gas outlet may be a first gas outlet. The valvemay be a first valve. The flow control mechanism may further include asecond gas outlet and a second valve disposed downstream of the secondgas outlet and upstream of the exhaust. The gas inlet may be a first gasinlet. The pumping liner may further define a second gas inlet. Thesecond valve may be operable to close to direct fluid flow into theinternal volume via the second gas inlet and then into the processingvolume via another subset of the plurality of apertures during fluiddistribution into the processing volume from the gas distributionmember.

In some embodiments, the flow control mechanism may be operable tocreate a pressure differential between a pressure inside a first ductcoupling a first gas outlet to an exhaust and a pressure inside a secondduct coupling a second gas outlet to the exhaust.

In some embodiments, the pumping liner may include a first internalbaffle and a second internal baffle diametrically opposed from eachother. In some embodiments, the first baffle may be disposed between thegas inlet and the plurality of apertures.

In some embodiments, the pumping liner may include a first portiondefining a first laterally extending volume portion of the internalvolume of the pumping liner. The gas inlet may be disposed at an uppersurface of the first portion. The pumping liner may further include asecond portion defining a second laterally extending volume portion ofthe internal volume of the pumping liner. The first laterally extendingvolume portion and the second laterally extending volume portion may bediametrically opposed from each other. The pumping liner may furtherinclude a third portion defining a first toroidally shaped volumeportion of the internal volume of the pumping liner. The firsttoroidally shaped volume portion may be disposed between the firstlaterally extending volume portion and the second laterally extendingvolume portion. The pumping liner may further include a fourth portiondefining a second toroidally shaped volume portion of the internalvolume of the pumping liner. The first toroidally shaped volume portionand the second toroidally shaped volume portion may be diametricallyopposed from each other.

In some embodiments, the gas inlet may be a first gas inlet. The pumpingliner may further define a second gas inlet disposed at an upper surfaceof the second portion. The flow control mechanism may be furtheroperable to direct fluid flow into the internal volume of the pumpingliner via the second gas inlet and then into the processing volume viaanother subset of the plurality of apertures of the pumping liner duringfluid distribution into the processing volume from the gas distributionmember.

In some embodiments, the processing chamber may further include anannular gap around the substrate support to provide fluid access from alower portion of the processing chamber to the processing volume and theinternal volume of the pumping liner. In some embodiments, each apertureof the plurality of apertures may be disposed at an equal distance fromadjacent two apertures of the plurality of apertures.

According to another aspect, a method for cleaning a processing chambermay include flowing a first gas through a gas distribution member of aprocessing chamber into a processing volume defined at least in part bythe gas distribution member and a substrate support of the processingchamber. The method may further include flowing a second gas through agas inlet of a pumping liner of the processing chamber into an internalvolume of the pumping liner. The pumping liner may be disposed radiallyoutward from the substrate support. The internal volume may be in fluidcommunication with the processing volume via a plurality of apertures ofthe pumping liner circumferentially disposed about the processingvolume. The method may further include flowing a portion of the secondgas from the internal volume of the pumping liner into the processingvolume through a first subset of apertures of the plurality of apertureswhile maintaining the flow of the first gas into the processing volume.The method may further include flowing the portion of the second gasfrom the processing volume into the internal volume of the pumping linervia a second subset of apertures of the plurality of apertures.

In some embodiments, the interval volume of the pumping liner mayinclude a first volume and a second volume separated by a pair of chokeplates. Flowing the second gas through the gas inlet of the pumpingliner into the internal volume of the pumping liner may include flowingthe second gas through the gas inlet of the pumping liner into the firstvolume. Flowing the portion of the second gas from the internal volumeof the pumping liner into the processing volume may include flowing theportion of the second gas from the first volume into the processingvolume. The portion of the second gas may be distributed throughout theentire processing volume. Flowing the portion of the second gas from theprocessing volume into the internal volume of the pumping liner mayinclude flowing the portion of the second gas from the processing volumeinto the second volume.

In some embodiments, the first gas may be distributed throughout theentire processing volume at a substantially uniform concentration. Insome embodiments, the first gas may be flowed at a first flow rate. Thesecond gas may be flowed at a second flow rate greater than the firstflow rate.

In some embodiments, the gas inlet may be a first gas inlet, the methodmay further include stop flowing the second gas through the first gasinlet of the pumping liner into the internal volume of the pumpingliner. The method may further include flowing a third gas through asecond gas inlet of the pumping liner into the internal volume of thepumping liner. The method may further include flowing a portion of thethird gas from the internal volume of the pumping liner into theprocessing volume through the second subset of apertures of theplurality of apertures. The method may further include flowing theportion of the third gas from the processing volume into the internalvolume of the pumping liner via the first subset of apertures of theplurality of apertures.

In some embodiments, the method may further include flowing a third gasthrough an annular gap surrounding the substrate support in an upwarddirection toward the processing volume.

According to another aspect, a deposition method may include flowing afirst gas through a gas distribution member of a processing chamber intoa processing volume defined at least in part by the gas distributionmember and a substrate support of the processing chamber supporting asemiconductor substrate thereon. The deposition method may furtherinclude flowing a second gas through a gas inlet of a pumping liner ofthe processing chamber into an internal volume of the pumping liner. Thepumping liner may be disposed radially outward from the substratesupport. The internal volume of the pumping liner may be in fluidcommunication with the processing volume via a plurality of aperturescircumferentially disposed about the processing volume. The first gasmay be flowed at a first flow rate. The second gas may be flowed at asecond flow rate less than the first flow rate such that the first gasmay be flowed from the processing volume into the internal volume of thepumping liner via the plurality of apertures while the flow of thesecond gas into the processing volume may be substantially prevented. Apressure difference between two peripheral locations inside theprocessing volume may be less than 0.001 torr.

In some embodiments, the gas inlet may be a first gas inlet, and thedeposition method may further include flowing a third gas through asecond gas inlet of the pumping liner into the internal volume of thepumping liner. The first gas inlet and the second gas inlet may bediametrically opposed from each other. The third gas may be flowed at athird flow rate less than the first flow rate such that the flow of thethird gas into the processing volume may be substantially prevented. Theflow of the first gas, the flow of the second gas, and the flow of thethird gas may collectively create an axially symmetrical pressureprofile inside the processing volume about a central axis of theprocessing volume.

In some embodiments, the deposition method may further include flowing athird gas through an annular gap surrounding the substrate support in anupward direction toward the processing volume.

The present technology may provide numerous benefits over conventionalsystems and techniques. For example, the present technology may cleanthe processing chamber significantly faster than conventional in-situcleaning methods, and thus improve production throughput. The presenttechnology may also clean the processing chamber in a substantiallyuniform manner. These and other embodiments, along with many of theiradvantages and features, may be described in more detail in conjunctionwith the below description and attached figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A further understanding of the nature and advantages of the disclosedtechnology may be realized by reference to the remaining portions of thespecification and the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of an exemplary processingchamber according to embodiments of the present technology.

FIG. 2 schematically illustrates select chamber components of theprocessing chamber of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 schematically illustrates a right perspective view of one or moreflow volumes defined by select chamber components of the processingchamber of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 shows exemplary operations in a method of cleaning chambercomponents of a processing chamber according to embodiments of thepresent technology.

FIGS. 5A and 5B schematically illustrate flow volumes of a processingchamber while one or more operations of method of FIG. 4 may beperformed.

FIGS. 6A and 6B schematically illustrates a left perspective view and apartial plan view, respectively, of flow volumes of a processingchamber, incorporating a flow control mechanism accordingly embodimentsof the present technology.

FIG. 7 schematically illustrates pressure profiles inside a processingvolume of a processing chamber accordingly embodiments of the presenttechnology.

FIG. 8 schematically illustrates flow volumes of a processing chamberaccording to embodiments of the present technology.

FIG. 9 shows exemplary operations in a method of cleaning chambercomponents of a processing chamber according to embodiments of thepresent technology.

FIGS. 10A and 10B schematically illustrate flow volumes of a processingchamber while one or more operations of method of FIG. 9 may beperformed.

Several of the figures are included as schematics. It is to beunderstood that the figures are for illustrative purposes, and are notto be considered of scale unless specifically stated to be of scale.Additionally, as schematics, the figures are provided to aidcomprehension and may not include all aspects or information compared torealistic representations, and may include exaggerated material forillustrative purposes.

In the appended figures, similar components and/or features may have thesame reference label. Further, various components of the same type maybe distinguished by following the reference label by a letter thatdistinguishes among the similar components. If only the first referencelabel is used in the specification, the description is applicable to anyone of the similar components having the same first reference labelirrespective of the letter.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

During manufacturing of semiconductor devices, a wafer may be deliveredinto a processing volume of a semiconductor processing chamber forcarrying out one or more deposition processes, such as one or morechemical vapor deposition processes. During deposition, the materials,e.g., one or more deposition gases, to be deposited on the wafer mayalso be deposited on the surfaces of various chamber components exposedto the deposition gas. Thus, the processing chamber may be cleaned fromtime to time. Conventional chamber designs may utilize an in-situcleaning method where a cleaning gas may be delivered into theprocessing chamber in a manner similar to how the deposition gas may bedelivered into the processing volume. Thus, the in-situ cleaning gas mayclean the various chamber components defining the processing volume andthe chamber components upstream of the processing volume. However, suchin-situ cleaning may not sufficiently clean the various chambercomponents downstream of the processing volume, or may require asignificant amount of time for the downstream components to besufficiently cleaned, which can reduce production throughput.

The present technology overcomes these issue by utilizing an ex-situcleaning gas that may be delivered through a bypass gas inlet of apumping liner of the processing chamber. The ex-situ cleaning gas may bedelivered concurrently with the in-situ cleaning gas. The presenttechnology may further utilize one or more flow control mechanisms toregulate the flow the ex-situ cleaning gas such that the ex-situcleaning gas may effectively clean the processing volume, as well asvarious chamber components downstream of the processing volume. Byperforming the ex-situ cleaning in lieu of or in addition to the in-situcleaning, the entire processing chamber may be cleaned efficiently, andproduction throughput may be improved.

Although the remaining disclosure will routinely identify various fluidflows for cleaning of a processing chamber utilizing the disclosedtechnology, the technology should not be considered to be so limited asfor cleaning process only. The present technology can be utilized forother processes, including but not limited to deposition, etching, etc.,where regulated and/or uniform fluid flow may be beneficial. Moreover,although exemplary semiconductor processing chambers are described toaid understanding of the present technology, the technology should notbe considered to be so limited as for cleaning components ofsemiconductor processing chambers only or to the exemplary chamberdescribed. It is to be understood that the present technology can beutilized for any type of processing chamber.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of an exemplary processingchamber 100 according to embodiments of the present technology. Theprocessing chamber 100 may include a gas distribution member orshowerhead 102 and a substrate support 104 positioned below the gasdistribution member 102. The gas distribution member 102 and thesubstrate support 104 may at least in part define a processing volume106. The gas distribution member 102 may include a number of aperturesconfigured to provide fluid access into the processing volume 106. Thetop component of the substrate support 104 may be or include a heaterthat may be configured to support and heat a substrate or wafer that maybe placed on a top surface of the substrate support 104 duringprocessing. The processing chamber 100 may further include a pumpingliner 110 disposed radially outward from the substrate support 104. Thepumping liner 110 may define a number of apertures 112 circumferentiallydisposed about the processing volume 106. The pumping liner 110 mayfurther define an internal volume 114 that may be in fluid communicationwith the processing volume 106 via the apertures 112.

In some embodiments, the substrate support 104 may be housed inside abottom bowl 120, and a gap 122, which may be annular, may be formedbetween the substrate support 104 and the bottom bowl 120 to allow thesubstrate support 104 to move up and down inside the bottom bowl 120. Tolimit or prevent a process gas, such as a deposition gas which may bedelivered into the processing volume 106 from the gas distributionmember 102, from flowing downward below the top surface of the substratesupport 104 and entering into the lower portion of the processingchamber 100 through the gap 122, a purge gas, which may include an inertgas, such as argon, nitrogen, etc., may be flowed into the gap 122 in anupward direction toward the processing volume 106.

In some embodiments, the purge gas may be delivered into a purge volume126 through a purge inlet 128 at the bottom of the processing chamber100. A purge baffle 130 may be disposed adjacent the purge inlet 128 todeflect the flow of the purge gas to facilitate the distribution of thepurge gas throughout the purge volume 126. In some embodiments, theprocessing chamber 100 may include a single purge inlet 128 and a singlepurge baffle 130. In some embodiments, the processing chamber 100 mayinclude multiple purge inlets 128 and a corresponding number of purgebaffles 130. The purge gas may then enter into the gap 122 through anumber of purge equalizer holes 124 defined in the bottom bowl 120 andflow upward toward the processing volume 106. The purge gas and theprocess gas may then be combined at an outer periphery of the processingvolume 106 and removed by the pumping liner 110 through the apertures112. In some embodiments, the purge equalizer holes 124 may have acommon size. In some embodiments, the purge equalizer holes 124 may havea variable size. For example, depending on the location of the purgeequalizer holes 124 relative to the purge inlet 128, the purge equalizerholes 124 closer to the purge inlet 128 may have a smaller diameter thanthe purge equalizer holes 124 further away from the purge inlet 128. Bydistributing the purge gas throughout the purge volume 126 and flowingthe purge gas through the purge equalizer holes 124 of appropriatesizes, an azimuthally uniform purge gas flow may be achieved, which mayfurther promote a uniform deposition profile on a wafer.

FIG. 2 schematically illustrates a perspective cross-sectional view ofportions of select components of the processing chamber 100 to betterillustrates the configuration of the select components. As shown, theapertures 112 of the pumping liner 110 may be circumferentially disposedaround an inner periphery of the pumping liner 110 and may be spacedapart from each other at an equal distance. The purge gas may be flowedthrough the gap 122 upward and mixed with the process gas near the edgeor periphery of the substrate support 104, and flowed from theprocessing volume 106 (not shown in FIG. 2) into the internal volume 114of the pumping liner 110 through the apertures 112.

FIG. 3 schematically illustrates a right perspective view of one or moreflow volumes defined by select chamber components of the processingchamber 100 of FIG. 1. It should be noted that the flow volumesillustrated in FIG. 3 and other subsequent flow volume illustrations mayonly represent the internal volumes or interior shapes of the variouschamber components defining the one or more flow volumes. Thus, for eachchamber components described herein, the exterior shape or form may varyfrom embodiment to embodiment, depending on how the chamber componentmay be integrated into the processing chamber 100 and/or be coupled withother chamber components and various other considerations, although theinternal volume or interior shape may be the same. Further, for purposeof discussion, certain chamber components may be described byreferencing to the flow volume illustrations, although the actualchamber components may not be illustrated in the flow volumeillustrations.

With continued reference to FIG. 3, the flow volumes may include theprocessing volume 106 defined by a bottom surface of the gasdistribution member 102 and the top surface of the substrate support104, and the internal volume 114 of the pumping liner 110 fluidlycoupled to the processing volume 106 via the apertures 112 of thepumping liner 110. The flow volumes may further include one or moreforeline volumes 140 fluidly coupled with and downstream of the internalvolume 114 of the pumping liner 110. In some embodiments, a firstforeline volume 140 a may be coupled with a first laterally extendingvolume portion 116 a of the internal volume 114 of the pumping liner110, and a second foreline volume 140 b may be coupled with a secondlaterally extending volume portion 116 b of the internal volume 114 ofthe pumping liner 110. The flow volumes may further include an exhaustvolume 142 fluidly coupled with and downstream of the first and secondforeline volumes 140 a, 140 b. Each of the foreline volumes 140 a, 140 bmay be defined by a foreline coupled to an gas outlet of the pumpingliner 110. The exhaust volume 142 may be defined by an exhaust duct thatmay direct fluid flow towards an exhaust of the processing chamber 100.

The internal volume 114 of the pumping liner 110 may include the firstlaterally extending volume portion 116 a and the second laterallyextending volume portion 116 b. The internal volume 114 of the pumpingliner 110 may further include two toroidally shaped volume portions 118a, 118 b or a first toroidally shaped volume portion 118 a and a secondtoroidally shaped volume portion 118 b. The two toroidally shaped volumeportions 118 a, 118 b may each be disposed between the two laterallyextending volume portions 116 a, 116 b. The two laterally extendingvolume portions 116 a, 116 b may be diametrically opposed from eachother, and the toroidally shaped volume portions 118 a, 118 b may alsobe diametrically opposed from each other.

In some embodiments, the laterally extending volume portions 116 a, 116b may be defined by two liner portions of the pumping liner 110 that mayalso extend laterally, and the toroidally shaped volume portions 118 a,118 b may be defined by two liner portions of the pumping liner 110 thatmay also each have a toroidal shape. However, as already mentionedabove, the respective liner portions defining the toroidally shaped orlaterally extending volume portions 116 a, 116 b, 118 a, 118 b may nothave the corresponding or similar exterior shape or form in someembodiments.

As shown in FIG. 3, the internal volume 114 of the pumping liner 110 mayhave an axis of symmetry passing through the middle of each of the twotoroidally shaped volume portions 118 a, 118 b and another axis ofsymmetry passing through the middle of each of the two laterallyextending volume portions 116 a, 116 b. The laterally extending volumeportions 116 a, 116 b may be greater than the toroidally shaped volumeportions 118 a, 118 b as the corresponding liner portions may be sizedand shaped to allow the pumping liner 110 to be supported by otherchamber components and/or to define one or more gas inlets and gasoutlets for upstream and/or downstream fluid communication with otherflow volumes of the processing chamber 100.

To promote a uniform fluid flow profile inside the processing volume106, and to minimize any effect the non-axisymmetric shape of theinternal volume 114 of the pumping liner 110 or the gas inlets andoutlets at the liner portions defining the lateral extending volumeportions 116 a, 116 b may have on the fluid flow profile inside theprocessing volume 106, in some embodiments, the pumping liner 110 mayinclude a pair of curved baffles disposed in the liner portions definingthe laterally extending volume portions 116 a, 116 b. The two bafflesare shown as two gaps 117 a, 117 b in FIG. 3 as there may be no fluidflow through the baffles.

During deposition, a process gas, such as a single gas or a gas mixture,may be flowed into the processing volume 106 from the gas distributionmember 102. The excess of the process gas may then be flowed into theinternal volume 114 of the pumping liner 110 through the apertures 112of the pumping liner 110, and then flowed downstream through theforeline volumes 140 a, 140 b and various other downstream flow volumestowards the exhaust of the processing chamber 100. Deposition may occuron the surfaces of the various chamber components exposed to the flow ofthe process gas.

Upon completion of one or more deposition processes, the processingchamber 100 may be cleaned by flowing into the various flow volumes acleaning gas to remove any material deposition on the various chambercomponent surfaces. The cleaning gas may include a single gas or a gasmixture. In some embodiments, the cleaning gas may include plasmaeffluents that may be generated in a remote plasma source or unitfluidly coupled to the processing chamber 100 and then flowed into theprocessing chamber 100. In some embodiments, the plasma effluents may begenerated locally in the processing chamber 100, such as a capacitivelycoupled plasma generated inside the processing chamber 100. During thecleaning of the processing chamber 100, the purge gas may becontinuously flowed from the bottom portion of the processing chamber100 into the processing chamber 100 via the annular gap 122 as discussedabove with reference to FIG. 1 to limit or prevent the cleaning gas fromflowing below the substrate support 104.

In some embodiments, the cleaning gas may be flow into the processingchamber 100 in a manner similar to how the process gas may be flowedinto the processing chamber 100 during the deposition process.Specifically, the cleaning gas may be flowed into processing volume 106through the gas distribution member 102, which may then be flowed intothe internal volume 114 of the pumping liner 110 and through variousdownstream flow volumes toward the exhaust of the processing chamber100. Thus, the same components and/or surfaces exposed to the processgas may also be exposed to and thus cleaned by the cleaning gas.Cleaning the processing chamber 100 by flowing the cleaning gas throughthe gas distribution member 102 into the processing volume 106 asdescribed above may also be referred to as in-situ cleaning. The in-situcleaning gas may effectively clean the various chamber componentsupstream of the processing volume 106. However, the time associated withan in-situ cleaning cycle to sufficiently clean the chamber componentsdownstream of the processing volume 106 may be long, affectingproduction throughput.

In some embodiments, to shorten the cleaning time or cleaning cycle,ex-situ cleaning may be utilized. As shown in FIG. 3, in someembodiments, the flow volumes may further include a bypass volume 144fluidly coupled with the internal volume 114 of the pumping liner 110.The bypass volume 144 may be defined by a bypass duct coupled to abypass gas inlet, or simply gas inlet, of the pumping liner 110. The gasinlet may be disposed on an upper surface of the liner portion definingone of the laterally extending volume portions 116 a, 116 b. The bypassvolume 144 and the gas inlet or bypass inlet of the pumping liner 110may allow a cleaning gas to be delivered into the internal volume 114 ofthe pumping liner 110 and various other flow volumes (as will bediscussed in more detail below) to clean the processing chamber 100,while bypassing the gas distribution member 102. The cleaning gasdelivered via the bypass volume 144 may include a single gas or a gasmixture and may include plasma effluents. The plasma effluents may begenerated using a remote plasma source or remote plasma unit, and thenprovided into the processing chamber 100 through the bypass volume 144and the gas inlet of the pumping liner 110 for cleaning the processingchamber 100. Cleaning the processing chamber 100 by flowing a cleaninggas through the bypass gas inlet of the pumping liner 110 into theprocessing chamber 100 may be referred to as ex-situ cleaning.

FIG. 4 shows exemplary operations in a method 400 utilizing ex-situcleaning to clean chamber components downstream of the processing volume106. FIGS. 5A and 5B schematically illustrate method 400. Specifically,similar to FIG. 3, FIGS. 5A and 5B schematically illustrate the flowvolumes defined by the various chamber components. FIG. 5A schematicallyillustrates a front view of the flow volumes shown in FIG. 3 while oneor more operations of the downstream cleaning method 400 may beperformed. FIG. 5B schematically illustrates the same front view as FIG.5A while one or more other operations of the downstream cleaning method400 may be performed. A portion of the purge gas flow volume or theannular gap 122 shown in FIG. 1 is also shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B. Thevarious operations of method 400 may be performed in any order and maybe removed or modified.

Method 400 may begin by flowing a first or in-situ cleaning gas 150 intothe processing volume 106 via the gas distribution member 102 atoperation 405, flowing a second gas 152 through the gap 122 surroundingthe substrate support 104 in an upward direction toward the processingvolume 106 at operation 410, and flowing a third or ex-situ cleaning gas154 into the internal volume 114 of the pumping liner 110 from thebypass volume 144 via the bypass gas inlet of the pumping liner 110 atoperation 415.

The first gas flow 150 may be or include a cleaning gas flow, or morespecifically, an in-situ cleaning gas flow for carrying out the in-situcleaning of various chamber components. The first gas flow 150 may becontinuously delivered into the processing volume 106 through the gasdistribution member 102. Thus, the ex-situ cleaning and the in-situcleaning may be carried out concurrently in method 400. In someembodiments, even when in-situ cleaning may not be conducted, the firstgas flow 150 may still be maintained by flowing an inert gas through thegas distribution member 102 into the processing volume 106 so as toprevent any of the third gas flow 154 delivered through the bypassvolume 144 from entering into chamber volumes upstream of the gasdistribution member 102.

The second gas flow 152, which may be or include a purge gas flow andmay be similar to or the same as the purge gas flow delivered duringdeposition, may also be maintained so as to prevent any of the first gasflow 150 and the third gas flow 154 from entering into the lower portionof the processing chamber 100. The third gas flow 154, which may be orinclude a cleaning gas flow, or more specifically, an ex-situ cleaninggas flow for carrying out the ex-situ cleaning of various chambercomponents. The third gas flow 154 may be continuously delivered intothe internal volume 114 of the pumping liner 110 from the bypass volume144 via the bypass gas inlet of the pumping liner 110.

With reference to FIG. 5A, with the first, second, and third gases 150,152, 154 being flowed concurrently, a majority portion or substantiallyall of the third gas 154 may simply pass through the laterally extendingvolume portions 116 a of the internal volume 114 of the pumping liner110 and enter the first foreline volume 140 a below the first laterallyextending volume portion 116 a of the internal volume 114 of the pumpingliner 110. The third gas flow 154 may then enter into the exhaust volume142 and flow toward the exhaust of the processing chamber 100. Thus, thethird gas flow 154 may clean the various ducts defining the firstforeline volume 140 a and the exhaust volume 142 and other downstreamchamber components. However, because the third gas flow 154 may bypasssubstantially the entire internal volume 114 of the pumping liner 110,as well as the second foreline volume 140 b, the pumping liner 110 andthe duct defining the second foreline volume 140 b may not be cleaned.

To clean the pumping liner 110, in some embodiments, the processingchamber 100 may include a flow control mechanism, such as a valve 160,disposed along the foreline duct to regulate the flow of the third gasflow 154. For example, the valve 160 may be configured to open or closeto allow or prevent the third gas flow 154 through the first forelinevolume 140 a, which may in turn force the third gas flow 154 to flowthrough the internal volume 114 of the pumping liner 110 and the secondforeline volume 140 b. Thus, at operation 420, the valve 160 may beclosed. As shown in FIG. 5B, the third gas flow 154 into the firstforeline volume 140 a may then be prevented, and the third gas flow 154may be forced to enter into the internal volume 114 of the pumping liner110 and to flow through the second foreline volume 140 b towardsexhaust, cleaning the pumping liner 110, the foreline duct defining thesecond foreline volume 140 b, and other downstream chamber components.

In some embodiments, instead of or in addition to the valve 160, otherdevice or mechanism may be implemented to direct the third gas flow 154towards the internal volume 114 and the second foreline volume 140 b.For example, a pressure deferential between the two foreline volumes 140a, 140 b may be created to direct the third gas flow 154 towards thesecond foreline volume 140 b via the internal volume 114 of the pumpingliner 110. Specifically, mechanisms may be implemented to increase thepressure inside the first foreline volume 140 a such that the pressureinside the first foreline volume 140 a may be greater than the pressureinside the second foreline volume 140 b. For example, another gas flowmay be created along the duct defining the first foreline volume 140 ato direct a gas flow into the second foreline volume 140 b therebyincreasing the pressure therein. The pressure differential may force thethird gas flow 154 to flow through the internal volume 114 of thepumping liner 110 and the second foreline volume 140 b to clean thepumping liner 110, the duct defining the second foreline volume 140 b,and other various downstream chamber components. In some embodiments, apressure differential of at least about 0.5 torr, at least about 1 torr,at least about 1.5 torr, at least about 2 torr, at least about 2.5 torr,at least about 3 torr, at least about 3.5 torr, at least about 4 torr,or greater may be created and/or maintained.

By performing the operations of method 400, various chamber componentsdownstream of the processing volume 106, such as the pumping liner 110,downstream ducts, etc., may be cleaned by the ex-situ cleaning gas flow154. During the ex-situ cleaning, some of the third gas flow 154 mayenter into the processing volume 106 from the internal volume 114 viasome of the apertures 112 of the pumping liner 110, depending on themechanism implemented to direct the flow of the third gas 154 into theinternal volume 114 of the pumping liner 110. Thus, some of the chambercomponents defining the processing volume 106 may also be cleaned by thethird gas flow 154. However, the concentration of the third gas flow 154inside the processing volume 106 may be low and the third gas flow 154may not be distributed throughout the entire processing volume 106.

For example, when the valve 160 may be closed, only a very small amountof the third gas 154 may flow into the processing volume 106 via a smallnumber of the apertures 112 of the pumping liner 110 due to the flow ofthe first gas flow 150 and the second gas flow 152 from the processingvolume 106 toward the internal volume 114 of the pumping liner 110.Further, the third gas flow 154 may only reach the peripheral region ofthe processing volume 106 near the bypass volume 144 and may not reachthe central region of the processing volume 106 or the peripheral regionof the processing volume 106 further away from the bypass volume 144.

When the pressure differential between the first foreline volume 140 aand the second foreline volume 140 b may be created by increasing thepressure inside the first foreline volume 140 a, the third gas 154 maybe flowed into the processing volume 106 via more apertures 112 of thepumping liner 110 and distributed inside the processing volume 106 at ahigher concentration. However, the distribution of the third gas 154 inthe processing volume 106 may not be uniform. For example, theconcentration of the third gas 154 in regions of the processing volume106 near the baffles of the pumping liner 110 may be lower than otherregions of the processing volume 106. Thus, the various chambercomponents defining the processing volume 106 may not be uniformlycleaned by the ex-situ cleaning gas 154 or may require very longcleaning time to ensure all material deposition on the various chambercomponents may be removed, which may reduce production throughput.

FIG. 6A schematically illustrates a left perspective view of the flowvolumes of the processing chamber 100, incorporating a flow controlmechanism that may increase the third gas flow 154 into the processingvolume 106. FIG. 6B illustrates a partial plan view of the flow volumesof the processing chamber 100, incorporating the flow control mechanism.As shown, the flow control mechanism may include a pair of choke plates170 a, 170 b, or a first choke plate 170 a and a second choke plate 170b. Each of the choke plates 170 a, 170 b may be disposed in the middleof one of the toroidally shaped volume portions 118 a, 118 b of theinternal volume 114 of the pumping liner 110. Thus, the internal volume114 may be divided into two smaller volumes or two sub-volumes, e.g., afirst substrate-volume 115 a and a second sub-volume 115 b. The firstsub-volume 115 a may include the first laterally extending volumeportion 116 a and a portion, e.g., one half, of each of the first andsecond toroidally shaped volume portions 118 a, 118 b. The secondsub-volume 115 b may include the second laterally extending volumeportion 116 b and the remaining portion, e.g., the other half, of eachof the first and second toroidally shaped volume portions 118 a, 118 b.The choke plates 170 a, 170 b may be oriented perpendicular to thebaffles of the pumping liner 110. Specifically, the baffles may extendcircumferentially, as shown by the extension of the flow gaps 117 a, 177b created by the baffles in FIGS. 6A and 6B, whereas the choke plates170 a, 170 b may extend radially, thus may be perpendicular to thebaffles.

The choke plates 170 a, 170 b may interrupt or prevent the fluid flowdirectly from the first sub-volume 115 a to the second sub-volume 115 b,or vice versa. The fluid access from the first sub-volume 115 a to thesecond sub-volume 115 b, or vice versa, may be established via theapertures 112 of the pumping liner 110 and the processing volume 106.Specifically, one half of the apertures 112 may provide fluid accessbetween the first sub-volume 115 a and the processing volume 106, andthe other half of the apertures 112 may provide fluid access between thesecond sub-volume 115 b and the processing volume 106. By preventingdirect fluid flow from the first sub-volume 115 a to the secondsub-volume 115 b or vice versa, the ex-situ cleaning gas 154 may beforced to enter into the processing volume 106 after entering into thefirst sub-volume 115 a, and then may be forced to enter into the secondsub-volume 115 b from the processing volume 106, as illustrated in FIG.6B.

Thus, when the various operations of method 400 may be performed, i.e.,flowing the first gas flow 150, the second gas flow 152, and the thirdgas flow 154 and closing the valve 160, the third gas 154 may enter intothe first laterally extending volume portion 116 a and one half of eachof the toroidally shaped volume portions 118 a, 118 b to clean half ofthe pumping liner 110, and then enter into the processing volume 106 viaone half of the apertures 112 to clean the chamber components, e.g., thegas distribution member 102 and substrate support 104, defining theprocessing volume 106. The third gas flow 154 may then enter into theother half of each of the toroidally shaped volume portions 118 a, 118 band the second laterally extending volume portion 116 b to clean theother half of the pumping liner 110.

As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the choke plates 170 a, 170 b may be placedin the middle of the toroidally shaped volume portions 118 a, 118 b, andthus divide the apertures 112 of the pumping liner 110 into equal numberof apertures 112 for establishing fluid access between the firstsub-volume 115 a and the processing volume 106 and for establishingfluid access between the second sub-volume 115 b and the processingvolume 106. Thus, the apertures 112 may be symmetrically distributed oneither side of each of the choke plates 170 a, 170 b to facilitate equalflow distribution. The choke plates 170 a, 170 b may also divide each ofthe toroidally shaped volume portions 118 a, 118 b into equal halves.Such equal division may facilitate creating and/or maintaining a uniformflow profile inside the processing volume 106 during the depositionand/or cleaning process. By placing the choke plates 170 a, 170 b in themiddle of the toroidally shaped volume portions 118 a, 118 b, the thirdgas flow 154 may also be forced to flow through all of the apertures 112establishing the fluid access between the first sub-volume 115 a and theprocessing volume 106 and to flow through all of the apertures 112establishing the fluid access between the processing volume 106 and thesecond sub-volume 115 b, and the third gas 154 may be distributedthroughout the entire processing volume 106.

Moreover, as compared to the concentration of the third gas flow 154inside the processing volume 106 when no choke plates 170 a, 170 b maybe utilized, the concentration of the third gas 154 inside theprocessing volume 106 may be significantly higher by incorporating thechoke plates 170 a, 170 b into the pumping liner 110, and theconcentration of the third gas 154 may be substantially uniformthroughout the processing volume 106. In some embodiments, theconcentration of the third gas 154 inside the pumping liner 110 and/orthe processing volume 106 may be greater than or about 10⁴ ppm, greaterthan or about 10⁵ ppm, greater than or about 10⁶ ppm, or greater. Thus,effective cleaning of the pumping liner 110 and the various chambercomponents defining the processing volume 106 may be achievedefficiently.

Due to the presence of the choke plates 170 a, 170 b, in someembodiments, there may be substantially no first gas flow 150 or secondgas flow 152 in the first sub-volume 115 a of the pumping liner 110 whenthe first gas 150 may be flowed. Thus, the mass fraction of the thirdgas 154 in the first sub-volume 115 a of the pumping liner 110 may be atleast about 90%, at least about 95%, or up to 100% when the variousoperations of method 400 may be performed. The mass fraction of thethird gas 154 in the second sub-volume 115 b may be at least about 60%,at least about 65%, at least about 70%, at least about 75%, at leastabout 80%, at least about 85%, at least about 90%, at least about 95%,or higher. Although due to the presence of the first gas flow 150 and/orthe second gas flow 152 in the second sub-volume 115 b, the massfraction of the third gas 154 in the second sub-volume 115 b may be lessthan the mass fraction of the third gas 154 in the first sub-volume 115a, the concentration of the third gas 154 in the second sub-volume 115 bof the pumping liner 110 may nonetheless be very high, and may begreater than or about 10⁴ ppm, greater than or about 10⁵ ppm, greaterthan or about 10⁶ ppm, or greater for effectively cleaning. Thus, byincorporating the choke plates 170 a, 170 b into the pumping liner 110,effective and efficient cleaning of the various chamber componentsdefining the processing volume 106, as well as other downstream chambercomponents, e.g., pumping liner 110, ducts defining the foreline volumes140 a, 140 b, the exhaust volume 142, etc., can be achieved.

In some embodiments, each of the choke plates 170 a, 170 b may be aseparate component that can be placed into the internal volume 114 ofthe pumping liner 110. In some embodiments, the pumping liner 110 may bemade by assembling an upper part having a downward-facing opening and alower part having an upward-facing opening matching the downward-facingopening of the upper part. The choke plates 170 a, 170 b may be placedinside or incorporated into one of the upper part or the lower partprior to the assembly. In some embodiments, the pumping liner 110 may bemade by assembling a left part or left half and a right part or righthalf together. The left part may define the first laterally extendingvolume portion 116 a and half of each of the toroidally shaped volumeportions 118 a, 118 b, and the right part may define the secondlaterally extending volume portion 116 b and half of each of thetoroidally shaped volume portions 118 a, 118 b. At least one of the leftpart or the right part may include closed ends defining one half of thetoroidally shaped volume portions 118 a, 118 b. Thus, when the left andright parts may be assembled, the toroidally shaped volume portions 118a, 118 b may be divided by the closed ends, which may effectivelyfunction as the choke plates 170 a, 170 b described above. Various otherways of incorporating the choke plates 170 a, 170 b into the pumpingliner 110 may be implemented.

The choke plates 170 a, 170 b may have a thickness ranging between about0.2 mm and about 4 mm, between about 0.5 mm and about 3.5 mm, betweenabout 1 mm and about 3 mm, between about 1.5 mm and about 2.5 mm. Thethickness of each of the choke plates 170 a, 170 b may be about 0.5 mm,about 1 mm, about 1.5 mm, about 2 mm, about 2.5 mm, about 3 mm, about3.5 mm, or about 4 mm. The choke plates 170 a, 170 b may be made of thesame material as the pumping liner 110, which may include aluminum,alumina, and any other suitable chamber component materials, dependingon the particular application. Although two choke plates 170 a, 170 bare described as an example, more than two choke plates 170 may beutilized based on various other considerations. Further, depending onthe application and various other considerations, the two or more chokeplates may be placed at any other locations to regulate the gas flow, inaddition to or in lieu of the middle of the toroidally shaped volumeportions 118 a, 118 b.

The first gas 150, or the in-situ cleaning gas, may be a single gas or agas mixture and/or may include plasma effluents having radicals of thein-situ cleaning gas. In some embodiments, the plasma may be generatedin a remote plasma source or unit fluidly coupled with the processingchamber 100 and then flowed into the processing volume 106 of theprocessing chamber 100. In some embodiments, the plasma effluents may begenerated locally in the processing chamber 100, such as a capacitivelycoupled plasma generated inside the processing volume 106. As discussedabove, since in some embodiments, the processing volume 106 may becleaned by the third gas 154, or the ex-situ cleaning gas, the first gas150 may not be a cleaning gas that may actively react with the materialdeposition on the chamber components. The first gas 150 may simplyinclude one or more inert gases, e.g., nitrogen or a noble gas, toprevent the backflow of the ex-situ cleaning gas 154 into the upstreamcomponents of the processing chamber 100.

The second gas 152 may include a single gas or a gas mixture that may beinert and unreactive with the material deposition on the chambercomponents or other gases delivered into the processing chamber 100. Thesecond gas 152 may be or include nitrogen, one or more of the noblegases, e.g., helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, and radon, and thelike. The third gas 154, or the ex-situ cleaning gas, may be a singlegas or a gas mixture and/or may include plasma effluents having radicalsof the ex-situ cleaning gas. The plasma may be generated in a remoteplasma source or unit and then flowed into the processing chamber 100via the bypass volume 144. In some embodiments, the third gas 154 mayinclude oxygen or oxygen radicals, although any other suitable cleaninggas may be utilized, depending on the material deposition to be removedfrom the various chamber components.

During the various processes described herein, including the deposition,in-situ cleaning, and/or ex-situ cleaning, the operating pressure of theprocessing chamber 100 may be maintained between about 1 torr and about10 torr, or may be maintained at about 2 torr, about 4 torr, about 6torr, about 8 torr, or about 10 torr. In some embodiments, the operatingpressure may be maintained generally at the same or similar levelsduring different processes. In some embodiments, the operating pressuremay vary from process to process.

Depending on the process, the flow rates of the various gas flows, e.g.,the first gas flow 150, the second gas flow 152, and/or the third gasflow 154 may vary from process to process. During ex-situ cleaning, thesecond gas flow 152 may be maintained at a level greater than the firstgas flow 150, and the third gas flow 154 may be maintained at a levelgreater than the second gas flow 152.

In some embodiments, during ex-situ cleaning, the first gas flow 150 maybe maintained at a level greater than or about 200 sccm, greater than orabout 300 sccm, greater than or about 400 sccm, greater than or about500 sccm, greater than or about 600 sccm, greater than or about 700sccm, greater than or about 800 sccm, greater than or about 900 sccm,greater than or about 1000 sccm, greater than or about 1100 sccm,greater than or about 1200 sccm, greater than or about 1300 sccm,greater than or about 1400 sccm, greater than or about 1500 sccm, orgreater.

In some embodiments, during ex-situ cleaning, the second gas flow 152may be maintained at a level greater than or about 1500 sccm, greaterthan or about 2000 sccm, greater than or about 2500 sccm, greater thanor about 3000 sccm, greater than or about 3500 sccm, greater than orabout 4000 sccm, or greater. The third gas flow 154 may be maintained ata level greater than or about 4000 sccm, greater than or about 4500sccm, greater than or about 5000 sccm, greater than or about 5500 sccm,greater than or about 6000 sccm, greater than or about 6500 sccm,greater than or about 7000 sccm, greater than or about 7500 sccm,greater than or about 8000 sccm, or greater.

In some embodiments, during ex-situ cleaning, a ratio of the flow rateof the first gas 150 to the flow rate of the third gas 154 may rangebetween 1:5 and 1:15, or may be about 1:5, about 1:6, about 1:7, about1:8, about 1:9, about 1:10, about 1:11, about 1:12, about 1:13, about1:14, about 1:15, or less. A ratio of the flow rate of the second gas152 to the flow rate of the third gas 154 may range between 1:2 to 1:5,or may be about 1:2, about 1:3, about 1:4, about 1:5, or less.

During deposition, the flow of the third gas 154 may be continuouslymaintained to prevent the deposition gas from flowing into the bypassvolume 144 and other chamber volumes upstream of the bypass volume 144.Because the valve 160 may be opened during deposition, substantially allof the third gas flow 154 may flow from the bypass volume 144 through asmall region of the first laterally extending volume portion 116 a ofthe internal volume 114 of the pumping liner 110 and then into the firstforeline volume 140 a. Substantially no or very limited amount of thethird gas flow 154 may flow beyond the baffle or enter into the volumeof pumping liner 110 behind the baffle or the processing volume 106.Nonetheless, the third gas flow 154 may be maintained at a relativelylow level as compared to that during the ex-situ cleaning so as to limitany amount of the third gas 154 that may be present in the processingvolume 106 and to limit any effect the third gas flow 154 may have onthe pressure and flow profile of the deposition gas in the processingvolume 106.

In some embodiments, during deposition, the third gas flow 154 may bemaintained less than or about 600 sccm, less than or about 500 sccm,less than or about 400 sccm, less than or about 300 sccm, less than orabout 200 sccm, less than or about 100 sccm, less than or about 75 sccm,less than or about 50 sccm, or less, while effectively limiting orpreventing the deposition gas from entering into the bypass volume 144and other chamber volumes upstream of the bypass volume 144. A ratio ofthe flow rate of the third gas 154 to the first gas 150 may rangebetween 1:5 and 1:100, or may be about 1:5, about 1:8, about 1:10, about1:20, about 1:30, about 1:40, about 1:50, about 1:60, about 1:80, about1:100, or less. A ratio of the flow rate of the third gas 154 to theflow rate of the second gas 152 may range between 1:2 to 1:50, or may beabout 1:2, about 1:4, about 1:8, about 1:10, about 1:15, about 1:20,about 1:30, about 1:40, about 1:50, or less. By maintaining the thirdgas flow 154 at a relatively low level, the concentration of the thirdgas 154 in the processing volume 106, if any, may be less than 4 ppm,less than 3 ppm, less than 2 ppm, less than 1 ppm, less than 0.5 ppm,less than 0.1 ppm, or less.

In some embodiments, depending on the flow rates of the first gas 150,the second gas 152, and/or the third gas 154, a minor or minimalpressure skew may be observed in the processing volume 106 along thedirection perpendicular to the orientation of the choke plates 170 a,170 b. In other words, the pressure profile may not be entirelyconcentric or axially symmetric inside the processing volume 106 about acentral axis of the processing volume 106.

FIG. 7 schematically illustrates pressure profiles inside the processingvolume 106 for different flow rates of the third gas 154. For example,when the third gas 154 may be flowed at 500 sccm, a pressure skew orpressure difference of about 0.001 torr or less may be observed at twoperipheral locations of the processing volume 106 along the directionperpendicular to the orientation of the choke plates 170 a, 170 b. Whenthe third gas 154 may be flowed at 100 sccm, a pressure skew or pressuredifference of about 0.0002 torr or less at the same two peripherallocations along the direction perpendicular to the orientation of thechoke plates 170 a, 170 b. Depending on the particular application, suchpressure differential may be negligible.

To eliminate any pressure skew that may be created due to the third gasflow 154, two bypass flows may be created as shown in FIG. 8. Asdiscussed above, the pumping liner 110 includes a bypass gas inlet, or afirst bypass gas inlet, for providing fluid access from the bypassvolume 144, or the first bypass volume 144 a shown in FIG. 8, into thefirst laterally extending volume portion 116 a of the pumping liner 110.In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the pumping liner 110 may furtherinclude a second bypass gas inlet for providing fluid access from asecond bypass volume 144 b into the second laterally extending volumeportion 116 b. The third gas 154 may be flowed simultaneously into thefirst laterally extending volume portion 116 a through the first bypassvolume 144 a and into the second laterally extending volume portion 116b through the second bypass volume 144 b at a common flow rate, such asany of the range or level of the flow rate of the third gas flow 154discussed above. The concurrent flow 154 a, 154 b of the third gas 154may facilitate creation and/or maintaining of a concentric or axiallysymmetric pressure profile inside the processing volume 106 duringdeposition.

FIG. 9 shows exemplary operations in a method 900 utilizing ex-situcleaning to clean the processing chamber 100. FIGS. 10A and 10Bschematically illustrate method 900. Specifically, FIGS. 10A and 10Bschematically illustrate the flow volumes defined by the various chambercomponents. FIG. 10A schematically illustrates a right perspective viewof the flow volumes while one or more operations of method 900 may beperformed. FIG. 10B schematically illustrates the same perspective viewof FIG. 10B while one or more other operations of method 900 may beperformed. The various operations of method 900 may be performed in anyorder and may be removed or modified.

Method 900 may begin by, at operation 905, flowing a first or in-situcleaning gas into the processing volume 106 via the gas distributionmember 102, at operation 910, flowing a second gas through the annulargap surrounding the substrate support 104 in an upward direction towardthe processing volume 106, and at operation 915, flowing a third orex-situ gas into the internal volume 114 of the pumping liner 110 fromthe first and second bypass volumes 144 a, 144 b through the first andsecond bypass inlets, respectively. The first gas, the second gas, andthird gas flowed during method 900 may be the same as the first gas 150,the second gas 152, and the third gas 154, respectively, flowed duringmethod 400 described above. The flow rates of the first gas 150, thesecond gas 152, and the third gas 154 may be maintained at any of theflow rates as discussed above. Further, the operating pressure of theprocessing chamber 100 may be maintained at any pressure level or rangeas discussed above.

At operation 920, a valve 160 b disposed along the foreline defining thesecond foreline volume 140 b may be closed such that the flow throughsecond foreline volume 140 b may be prevented. The valve 160 b may beequivalent to, the same as, or similar to the valve 160 a disposed alongthe foreline defining the first foreline volume 140 a. For purpose ofdescription, the valve 160 a and the valve 160 b may be referred to asthe first foreline valve 160 a and the second foreline valve 160 b,respectively.

At operation 925, flow of the third gas or the ex-situ cleaning gas fromthe first bypass volume 144 a into the internal volume 114, or morespecifically the first sub-volume 115 a, through the first bypass gasinlet of the pumping liner 110 may be stopped by, e.g., closing a valvethat may be placed upstream of the first bypass gas inlet and configuredto control the flow of the ex-situ cleaning gas into the first bypassvolume 144 a. At operation 925, flow of the ex-situ cleaning gas fromthe second bypass volume 144 b into the second sub-volume 115 b throughthe second bypass gas inlet of the pumping liner 110 may be maintained.

Upon completion of operation 925, gas flow or fluid flow as shown inFIG. 10A may be achieved. Specifically, the ex-situ cleaning gas may beflowed into the second sub-volume 115 b from the second bypass volume144 b. Due to the closure of the valve 160 b and the presence of thechoke plates 170 a, 170 b, the ex-situ cleaning gas may then enter intothe processing volume 106 via half of the apertures 112 of the pumpingliner 110, and then enter into the first sub-volume 115 a via the otherhalf of the apertures 112 of the pumping liner 110. The ex-situ cleaninggas may then flow toward the exhaust via the first foreline volume 140 aand the exhaust volume 142. The flow of the ex-situ cleaning gas throughthe various flow volumes as shown in FIG. 10A may clean the pumpingliner 110, the chamber components defining the processing volume 106,such as the gas distribution member 102 and the substrate support 104,and various other downstream ducts and chamber components exposed to theex-situ cleaning gas flow. The flow of the ex-situ cleaning gas as shownin FIG. 10A may be maintained until the various chamber components maybe sufficiently cleaned.

At operation 930, the flow of the ex-situ cleaning gas from the firstbypass volume 144 a into the internal volume 114, or more specificallythe first sub-volume 115 a, through the first bypass gas inlet of thepumping liner 110 may be resumed. At operation 935, the second forelinevalve 160 b may be opened, and at operation 940, the first forelinevalve 160 a may be closed to prevent fluid flow through the firstforeline volume 140 a.

At operation 945, the flow of the ex-situ cleaning gas from the secondbypass volume 144 b into the internal volume 114, or more specificallythe second sub-volume 115 b, through the second bypass gas inlet of thepumping liner 110 may be stopped by, e.g., closing a valve that may beplaced upstream of the second bypass gas inlet and configured to controlthe flow of the ex-situ cleaning gas into the second bypass volume 144b. At operation 945, flow of the ex-situ cleaning gas from the firstbypass volume 144 a into the first sub-volume 115 a through the firstbypass gas inlet of the pumping liner 110 may be maintained.

Upon completion of operation 945, gas flow or fluid flow as shown inFIG. 10B may be achieved. Specifically, the ex-situ cleaning gas may beflowed into the first sub-volume 115 a from the first bypass volume 144a. Due to the closure of the valve 160 a and the presence of the chokeplates 170 a, 170 b, the ex-situ cleaning gas may then enter into theprocessing volume 106 via half of the apertures 112 of the pumping liner110, and then enter into the second sub-volume 115 b via the other halfof the apertures 112 of the pumping liner 110. The ex-situ cleaning gasmay then flow toward the exhaust via the second foreline volume 140 band the exhaust volume 142. The flow of the ex-situ cleaning gas throughthe various flow volumes as shown in FIG. 10B may further clean thepumping liner 110, the chamber components defining the processing volume106, such as the gas distribution member 102 and the substrate support104, and various other downstream ducts and chamber components exposedto the ex-situ cleaning gas flow. The flow of the ex-situ cleaning gasas shown in FIG. 10B may be maintained until the various chambercomponents may be sufficiently cleaned.

Once the processing chamber 100 may be cleaned by performing some or allof the operations 905 to 945, at operation 950, the flow of the ex-situcleaning gas from the first bypass volume 144 b into the internal volume114, or more specifically the first sub-volume 115 a, through the secondbypass gas inlet of the pumping liner 110 may be resumed. At operation955, the first foreline valve 160 a may be opened. The flow rate of theex-situ cleaning gas, as well as the flow rates of the first and secondgases, may be adjusted to appropriate levels as discussed above forcarrying out deposition processes, or other appropriate levels forvarious other processes.

By performing one or more operations of method 900, chamber componentsdownstream of the processing volume 106, as well as chamber componentsdefining the processing volume 106, such as the gas distribution member102 and the substrate support 104, may also be cleaned with the ex-situcleaning gas delivered through the bypass inlets of the pumping liner110. The ex-situ cleaning may be performed concurrently with the in-situcleaning. Thus, the chamber components defining the processing volume106, the chamber components upstream of the processing volume 106, andthe chamber components downstream of the processing volume 106 may becleaned simultaneously. The entire processing chamber 100 may be cleanedmore efficiently as compared to utilizing in-site cleaning alone, thusmay improve production throughout.

In the preceding description, for the purposes of explanation, numerousdetails have been set forth in order to provide an understanding ofvarious embodiments of the present technology. It will be apparent toone skilled in the art, however, that certain embodiments may bepracticed without some of these details, or with additional details.

Having disclosed several embodiments, it will be recognized by those ofskill in the art that various modifications, alternative constructions,and equivalents may be used without departing from the spirit of theembodiments. Additionally, a number of well-known processes and elementshave not been described in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring thepresent technology. Accordingly, the above description should not betaken as limiting the scope of the technology. Additionally, methods orprocesses may be described as sequential or in steps, but it is to beunderstood that the operations may be performed concurrently, or indifferent orders than listed.

Where a range of values is provided, it is understood that eachintervening value, to the smallest fraction of the unit of the lowerlimit, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, between the upperand lower limits of that range is also specifically disclosed. Anynarrower range between any stated values or unstated intervening valuesin a stated range and any other stated or intervening value in thatstated range is encompassed. The upper and lower limits of those smallerranges may independently be included or excluded in the range, and eachrange where either, neither, or both limits are included in the smallerranges is also encompassed within the technology, subject to anyspecifically excluded limit in the stated range. Where the stated rangeincludes one or both of the limits, ranges excluding either or both ofthose included limits are also included.

As used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an”,and “the” include plural references unless the context clearly dictatesotherwise. Thus, for example, reference to “a precursor” includes aplurality of such precursors, and reference to “the layer” includesreference to one or more layers and equivalents thereof known to thoseskilled in the art, and so forth.

Also, the words “comprise(s)”, “comprising”, “contain(s)”, “containing”,“include(s)”, and “including”, when used in this specification and inthe following claims, are intended to specify the presence of statedfeatures, integers, components, or operations, but they do not precludethe presence or addition of one or more other features, integers,components, operations, acts, or groups.

1. A processing chamber, comprising: a gas distribution member; asubstrate support positioned below the gas distribution member, whereinthe gas distribution member and the substrate support at least in partdefine a processing volume, and wherein the gas distribution memberprovides fluid access into the processing volume; a pumping linerdisposed radially outward from the substrate support, wherein: thepumping liner defines a plurality of apertures circumferentiallydisposed about the processing volume and an internal volume that is influid communication with the processing volume via the plurality ofapertures; and the pumping liner further defines a gas inlet disposedradially outward from the plurality of apertures, wherein the gas inletprovides fluid access into the internal volume of the pumping liner; anda flow control mechanism, wherein the flow control mechanism is operableto direct fluid flow into the internal volume via the gas inlet and theninto the processing volume via a subset of the plurality of apertures ofthe pumping liner during fluid distribution into the processing volumefrom the gas distribution member.
 2. The processing chamber of claim 1,wherein the flow control mechanism comprises a first choke plate and asecond choke plate disposed inside the pumping liner, wherein the firstchoke plate and the second choke plate divide the internal volume of thepumping liner into a first volume and a second volume, wherein the firstvolume is in fluid communication with the processing volume via one halfof the plurality of apertures, wherein the second volume is in fluidcommunication with the processing chamber via the other half of theplurality of apertures, and wherein the flow control mechanism isoperable to direct fluid flow from the first volume into the secondvolume via the processing volume.
 3. The processing chamber of claim 1,wherein the flow control mechanism comprises a valve disposed downstreamof a gas outlet and upstream of an exhaust, wherein the valve isoperable to close to prevent fluid flow from the processing chamber orthe internal volume of the pumping liner to the exhaust via the gasoutlet.
 4. The processing chamber of claim 3, wherein the gas outlet isa first gas outlet, wherein the valve is a first valve, wherein the flowcontrol mechanism further comprises a second gas outlet and a secondvalve disposed downstream of the second gas outlet and upstream of theexhaust, wherein the gas inlet is a first gas inlet, wherein the pumpingliner further defines a second gas inlet, and wherein the second valveis operable to close to direct fluid flow into the internal volume viathe second gas inlet and then into the processing volume via anothersubset of the plurality of apertures during fluid distribution into theprocessing volume from the gas distribution member.
 5. The processingchamber of claim 1, wherein the flow control mechanism is operable tocreate a pressure differential between a pressure inside a first ductcoupling a first gas outlet to an exhaust and a pressure inside a secondduct coupling a second gas outlet to the exhaust.
 6. The processingchamber of claim 1, wherein the pumping liner comprises a first internalbaffle and a second internal baffle diametrically opposed from eachother.
 7. The processing chamber of claim 6, wherein the first baffle isdisposed between the gas inlet and the plurality of apertures.
 8. Theprocessing chamber of claim 1, wherein the pumping liner comprises: afirst portion defining a first laterally extending volume portion of theinternal volume of the pumping liner, wherein the gas inlet is disposedat an upper surface of the first portion; a second portion defining asecond laterally extending volume portion of the internal volume of thepumping liner, wherein the first laterally extending volume portion andthe second laterally extending volume portion are diametrically opposedfrom each other; a third portion defining a first toroidally shapedvolume portion of the internal volume of the pumping liner, wherein thefirst toroidally shaped volume portion is disposed between the firstlaterally extending volume portion and the second laterally extendingvolume portion; and a fourth portion defining a second toroidally shapedvolume portion of the internal volume of the pumping liner, wherein thefirst toroidally shaped volume portion and the second toroidally shapedvolume portion are diametrically opposed from each other.
 9. Theprocessing chamber of claim 8, wherein the gas inlet is a first gasinlet, wherein the pumping liner further defines a second gas inletdisposed at an upper surface of the second portion, and wherein the flowcontrol mechanism is further operable to direct fluid flow into theinternal volume of the pumping liner via the second gas inlet and theninto the processing volume via another subset of the plurality ofapertures of the pumping liner during fluid distribution into theprocessing volume from the gas distribution member.
 10. The processingchamber of claim 1, further comprises an annular gap around thesubstrate support to provide fluid access from a lower portion of theprocessing chamber to the processing volume and the internal volume ofthe pumping liner.
 11. The processing chamber of claim 1, wherein eachaperture of the plurality of apertures is disposed at an equal distancefrom adjacent two apertures of the plurality of apertures.
 12. A methodfor cleaning a processing chamber, the method comprising: flowing afirst gas through a gas distribution member of a processing chamber intoa processing volume defined at least in part by the gas distributionmember and a substrate support of the processing chamber; flowing asecond gas through a gas inlet of a pumping liner of the processingchamber into an internal volume of the pumping liner, wherein thepumping liner is disposed radially outward from the substrate support,and wherein the internal volume is in fluid communication with theprocessing volume via a plurality of apertures of the pumping linercircumferentially disposed about the processing volume; flowing aportion of the second gas from the internal volume of the pumping linerinto the processing volume through a first subset of apertures of theplurality of apertures while maintaining the flow of the first gas intothe processing volume; and flowing the portion of the second gas fromthe processing volume into the internal volume of the pumping liner viaa second subset of apertures of the plurality of apertures.
 13. Themethod of claim 12, wherein the interval volume of the pumping linercomprises a first volume and a second volume separated by a pair ofchoke plates, wherein: flowing the second gas through the gas inlet ofthe pumping liner into the internal volume of the pumping linercomprises flowing the second gas through the gas inlet of the pumpingliner into the first volume; flowing the portion of the second gas fromthe internal volume of the pumping liner into the processing volumecomprises flowing the portion of the second gas from the first volumeinto the processing volume, wherein the portion of the second gas isdistributed throughout the entire processing volume; and flowing theportion of the second gas from the processing volume into the internalvolume of the pumping liner comprises flowing the portion of the secondgas from the processing volume into the second volume.
 14. The method ofclaim 12, wherein the first gas is distributed throughout the entireprocessing volume at a substantially uniform concentration.
 15. Themethod of claim 12, wherein the first gas is flowed at a first flowrate, and wherein the second gas is flowed at a second flow rate greaterthan the first flow rate.
 16. The method of claim 12, wherein the gasinlet is a first gas inlet, the method further comprising: stop flowingthe second gas through the first gas inlet of the pumping liner into theinternal volume of the pumping liner; flowing a third gas through asecond gas inlet of the pumping liner into the internal volume of thepumping liner; flowing a portion of the third gas from the internalvolume of the pumping liner into the processing volume through thesecond subset of apertures of the plurality of apertures; and flowingthe portion of the third gas from the processing volume into theinternal volume of the pumping liner via the first subset of aperturesof the plurality of apertures.
 17. The method of claim 12, furthercomprising flowing a third gas through an annular gap surrounding thesubstrate support in an upward direction toward the processing volume.18. A deposition method, comprising: flowing a first gas through a gasdistribution member of a processing chamber into a processing volumedefined at least in part by the gas distribution member and a substratesupport of the processing chamber supporting a semiconductor substratethereon; and flowing a second gas through a gas inlet of a pumping linerof the processing chamber into an internal volume of the pumping liner,wherein the pumping liner is disposed radially outward from thesubstrate support, wherein the internal volume of the pumping liner isin fluid communication with the processing volume via a plurality ofapertures circumferentially disposed about the processing volume,wherein the first gas is flowed at a first flow rate, wherein the secondgas is flowed at a second flow rate less than the first flow rate suchthat the first gas is flowed from the processing volume into theinternal volume of the pumping liner via the plurality of apertureswhile the flow of the second gas into the processing volume issubstantially prevented, and wherein a pressure difference between twoperipheral locations inside the processing volume is less than 0.001torr.
 19. The deposition method of claim 18, wherein the gas inlet is afirst gas inlet, the deposition method further comprising: flowing athird gas through a second gas inlet of the pumping liner into theinternal volume of the pumping liner, wherein the first gas inlet andthe second gas inlet are diametrically opposed from each other, whereinthe third gas is flowed at a third flow rate less than the first flowrate such that the flow of the third gas into the processing volume issubstantially prevented, and wherein the flow of the first gas, the flowof the second gas, and the flow of the third gas collectively create anaxially symmetrical pressure profile inside the processing volume abouta central axis of the processing volume.
 20. The deposition method ofclaim 18, further comprising flowing a third gas through an annular gapsurrounding the substrate support in an upward direction toward theprocessing volume.